Reviews

Plots this season are more realistic but with its pros and cons

I felt that this season started off with the best case out of the bunch. The an glass family case was the perfect mix of acting, scare, dramatic comedic moments and actual case solving. The subsequent cases were okay but the "side quests" of advancing the various plot gradually outweighed the "main quest" of deducing the culprit.

I am on the fence about how I feel about that as I have watched shows on both ends of the spectrum (see crime scene and also busted!) Here I felt it was executed fairly well albeit I thought we could have had a bit more problem solving from the cast and clue finding. I also wished we had a bit more of outdoor sets but that might be more of a practical choice if anything

Ding cheng xin was interestingly a really good addition to the cast. He was the youthful kind of infectious laughter energy which the show needed to make it more comedic in a good way. I would love to see him come back for another season. Our usual cast was great as usual. However i didn't exactly enjoy the rotating guests, some of them yes some of them not so much. Wang yu wen and zhang ruo nan were standouts in my opinion.

Hopefully we get a season 5 again next year because this has now become something i look forward to every year

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I'm currently watching this Chinese drama and I'm struggling to finish it.

I really liked how it started and I adored the male lead, played by actor Li Yun Rui, as the character Xing Wu. The false impression he leaves at the beginning is only in the eyes of the female character, not in that of the viewer.
This is the first time I've really liked dyed blond hair on a Chinese actor, and I was actually sorry when he returned to his natural hair color.

I liked all the actors, but the series dragged on for too long and dealt with uninteresting topics, deliberately omitting the topics that interested the viewer, namely the romance between the two main characters.
I would have liked to see their relationship develop more than to be shown that, despite losing everything, you can start over and succeed. I understood the idea that by working hard you can be successful, that by insisting, you can convince, and that from new ideas, old businesses can be saved. It's just that this thing kept dragging on in the series, and the love story hasn't even started, and I have a few more episodes and I'm finishing the series.
Well, at the moment I'm not watching for the plot anymore, but for the actor, whom I will definitely watch in other works as well.

It's a shame that they dragged out something that could have been good with uninteresting and seemingly endless topics.

Unfortunately, I give it a 7.

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heartfelt, cozy and heavy all at once ⭐?

"i see people eat Chicken Rice every day. and they enjoy their Chicken Rice in their own way."

awhh, no joke this series was super cute but also uhm soul-crushing because why did firstkhao not get a single break 💔
and don't even play with me about the scene with heart and li ming talking to heart's parents - but i'll talk about that later.
been on my list for aaages probably and feels so refreshing to finish 💖🥹

☆ jim and wen (earthmix)
this is my first earthmix series, even though i've heard of all their other ones and i'm so pleased! their chemistry is insane and i really enjoyed wen chasing jim 7/8 episodes and jim giving in to his stupid logic in the last. i know he had an unresolved past but even when wen took him to the other woman and helped him move on, jim still was reluctant. anyway, they were so entertaining to watch! while i don't think their acting is the strongest, they still managed to pull off the sad and angsty scenes really well! i even shed a few tears. i feel like their story was cut short due to only 8 episodes (i was so shocked when i found out it was only that many) so i felt that both: wen chased after jim for too long/jim pushed wen away for too long. as i said, it just felt like wen was pushed away right until the last minute. it was obvious they had mutual feelings but i still would've liked it to feel like i didn't just press fast forward. nonetheless, they were so adorable to watch and they have a truck together!! lemme just order some Chicken Rice, i'll be back

job promotion: declined
reason: i just built a home. i dont want to move anywhere.

☆ heart and li meng (geminifourth)
AHH, my cuties!! as probably the majority of watchers have done, i watched this series and even discovered it because of geminifourth. if you couldn't tell already, i am a sucker for any kind of media that brings disability awareness to the table. i loved their little use of sign language between them and their notepad 📝. i got frustrated with jim more times than i can count but the times when i was most furious is when he was scolding li meng - especially in THAT scene. honestly, a relationship like heart and li meng's - in any case: romantic, platonic, relative etc - is such a clear case that soulmates exist. to think that heart would probably still be stuck inside his boring house, his parents ashamed of him and never living like the normal person that he is if he hadn't met li meng. i can't beat to think about it!

"deaf people are the loneliest people. they see everything, but they can't hear a thing. if no one talks to them, they won't understand anything at all."

this quote actually sat with me for a while. i genuinely had to research if deaf people could still speak because every deaf people i have seen in media either doesn't speak well or at all. when i saw people say that they have been deaf since their toddler years and even birth and they can speak clearly with 98% accuracy, i was like oh!! which is what made the quote stick so well. if no one had bothered to teach those people how to regain their speech and just disregarded them, they wouldn't be able to communicate as well as they would. especially since so many people don't bother to learn sign language so those that can't speak are just stuck.
li meng hearing heart speak is genuinely so heartwarming. even when heart spoke for the 4th time in front of him, he was still amazed 🥹. especially since he said li meng's name. i will love geminifourth even more for this representation and amazing acting 🤍

☆ alan and wen
oh, i was NOT ready for all of this angst. i will never tire of saying this - first and khaotung are my favourite pair in terms of acting ability. they make me feel like im on a rainbow in the clouds but then suddenly there's just a fucking thunderstorm from nowhere and now im miserable. first was so good as alan - even though the character was more than partly in the wrong. i swear, every time this man was crying, he did it like he had bottled up his feelings for 10 years. mix also played into the angst of alanwen really well. his emotion was at its max and i honestly was so emmersed.

"but now you like chicken better than beef, right?" / "you were not this sarcastic back then." / "i have always been like this. you just started to not like it."

alan, who taught you these ways. stop playing with my heartstrings!! i absolutely adored the constant metaphors this series used to describe the character's feelings towards one another. i will never say that wen was in the clear because it is so so wrong continue being with somebody for anything other than love - ESPECIALLY sleeping with them. that whole scene was just so not funny. #gmmtvlovesemployingprettycriers

☆ praew and saleng
this is the part when i wish this series was longer. their story deserved to be shared as much as the others, if not more!! poverty pregnancy is such a curse, i can imagine. when praew still had to work while she was pregnant because they didn't have the money 💔. oh girl, just saw you want my money; it's all yours. i feel like this mark is one of those gmmtv actors you just manage to see in every other series that you watch. like how high are the bills?! but i love this character, and obviously mark himself 🤍

☆ overall
although this seems like an adorable, heartfelt, cozy bl, to me it actually has a lot of serious topics discussed: poverty (pregnancy), disease, loss + grief, politics (about lgbtq+ rights at the time) and of course, disability. i think that's what makes it stand out from other cozy bls because it has all of these serious issues mixed into the story and handles them very well. from what i have seen previously, im pretty sure that earthmix are strong advocaters for the lgbtq community, so when jim and wen were talking about thailand in 2022/2023 and talking about the lack of same-sex marriage laws, i thought that really fit them. the discussion of poverty is huge in this series, and as it should be! even now, the world is covered in poverty as people wonder if they'll get to eat tomorrow. what with the wars (PLURAL) going on, poverty grows every day. i just wish everyone got the chance to dream 💔

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Villains downgraded, entertainment maintained, Jimnam still hot.

Even though I was not as disappointed in season 2 as many people were, I do understand the complaints, since not one aspect of the production was improved, while some actually declined in delivery. Still, was it fun? Hell yeah.

The plot just continues from season one - Jian and Jinman forced to be against Babylon. Same good team, new villains, no nuance. While some plotlines and characters had good potential, it was never used. Schemes on top of schemes, twists on top of twists - don’t try to figure it out, just enjoy the ride. The plot and motivations of the characters are not deep enough to use any brain power on them.

What can I say about the “good” guys… decent guys? Gray characters? Still love Jian and Jinman. I love when the focus relationship that drives the whole show is not a romantic one. It always feels more refreshing, no matter what. I found Jian’s arc to be rather well paced and presented. Her resistance to accept the fact she is part of that dangerous world and there is no turning back anymore was decently developed and the turning point for her acceptance also made sense.

Jinman for sure is one of the best written and consistent characters in both seasons. Every decision he makes makes sense, his objectives have clear purpose - there is no guessing game why he does what he does, it’s clear from day one. Protecting Jian is his life mission, but I like how it’s not a stagnant arc. He goes from trying to protect her by hiding things from her, to accepting the fact the best way to protect her is supporting her own choices. It’s also wise to remember how hot Lee Dong Wook is in this role.

While I enjoyed good-ish guys a lot, I cannot say the same for the antagonists. I cannot comprehend who thought it was a good idea to write off all the most distinctive fun and entertaining ones, to leave us with the psycho who is nothing, but the empty shell with no substance. That’s what the second season lacks the most - good villains with well developed motivations. Kusanagi Jin gave me nothing writing wise. I am sorry, but making your bad guys act completely psychopathic is not enough anymore, the audience wants more.

Luckily, the acting was as strong as we would hope it would be. This is an action packed drama, so I need to appreciate the hard work that was put into delivering well choreographed fighting scenes. The dominant emotion that was presented on the screen was desperation, and it did translate in any and all aspects of the performances. The deliveries that stood out for me were: obviously the man Lee Dong Wook - he needs to stick to these darker and more serious roles, this what suits him the best. I’m gonna speak from my heart - he is just so hot when he is all fighting with blood on his face. It is what it is.

Kim Hye Jun also made sure her performance was on the same level as her co-stars. Jung Yun Ha saved Kusanagi Jin with her acting, because the writing was not it. And we have to talk about Okada Masaki as J - I wish for a prequel focused just on J and Q. What an entertaining ride that would be.

As for directing - still fun. I don’t think anything truly stood out. The storytelling was far more linear, there were less unique ways to present the plot and the twists. The story just sailed smoothly from point A to point B with little disturbance. Which is a little bit disappointing.

What I liked about season one was how they delivered non-linear storytelling. Cutting the scenes and moving between the timelines at just the right moments to create the suspense - this is what this season lacked for sure. They went for typical plot twists that at some point were painfully easy to predict. While season two kept the entertainment aspect high, it lacked the tension.

As I already said - the fighting scenes were still amazing. Well choreographed and well acted - you can see they did put some effort into practice to make them seem realistic and dynamic. What I did not like were the Terminator-esque robots showing up a few times - they looked extremely fake and took me out of the show every time. Except for them, all the other CGI and special effects were good.

Similarly, the set design was fine. Nothing truly stood out either in a positive nor negative manner. Sadly, while I love the soundtrack, I think they did not utilize it to its full potential. These songs hit hard when you listen to them outside of the show, but when you watch the scenes they are used in, they do not have the same impact.

Overall, it was not as good as season one, but I also think it was not as bad as people claim it to be. The biggest mistake the show made was writing off all the best antagonists, leaving the viewers with mediocrity in the second half.

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Spoilers ahead! Spoilers ahead!

Spoilers ahead!

I would like to start off by saying that i really enjoy this series. I think that the OST, the acting and the visuals are spot on. There was a lot of emotions i was going through in every episode like in one minute i would be in 5 stages of grief and the next minute i would be giggling and kicking my feet up in the air. Although in my opinion, this series is more heartwarming even though some of the scenes isn't so heartwarming.

I don't really have much to critique about this series everything just balanced each other. Like the characters are not strong but its not to the point that the main characters are weak. I think everyone who played apart of this series did really well. Maybe one of the things that they could dive deeper is maybe expanded Jun's character (one of MARS member). Because they way that he interact with Po (Main character) seems like there is something going on but in the end they just scrap that idea away. I wished that it could be directed in another way not just for Jun to lose his affection towards Po but also for his own character growth. In my opinion, it feels like there is some sort of potential there.

One of the things I would like to mentioned is how their manager Mick does a 360 character change. Which i find it funny, he doesn't seem to be playing the role of a bad guy but just acts like one. Overall these are just my comments based on my experience on watching this series. Thank you for reading.

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Slight spoiler!

I cannot believe that the drama ended.. Its so good! I watched this while it was still ongoing and always looking forward to monday and tuesday :,(

The story was good and the chemistry of the characters was OFF THE CHARTS! There are some red flags in the story so if you don’t like it, you may not like this drama!! (Just a little heads up)

I think the plot started off okay but it gets better with every episode. The visuals are amazing!! (Face card never declines fr). To me there were no boring episodes, it started off with light comedy then a bunch of emotional scenes , basically a rollercoaster ride. (There are a scenes that make me cry, laugh and even fangirl)

I may be biased because I like BL but I feel that its one of the few series that managed to execute well for this year. (I heard that Tian Xu Ning (Actor for Chi Cheng) and Zi Yu (Actor for Wu Suo Wei) may not appear in another drama tgt cause of chinese censorship :,( Im gonna miss them sm)

10/10 would recommend if you are a BL fan like me!

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Spoilers ahead! Spoilers ahead!

All these are my opinions and critiques so if you don’t have to agree with it. It’s just based on my experience and how I felt when watching the show :)

I didn’t expect this series to be good but it’s just is! The story from the start is quite good, I didn’t expect character development but I do love to see it! One thing I would like to start off is Saint (main character) he is such a dense person. He cannot read the room, he sucks at understanding when people expresses their feelings to him and the amount of flirty jokes he comments only for his next line to be “we’re just friends”. That basically sums up his character and it’s not that I don’t like that, I just feel like his character can have something more but at least he is a likable character.

Second, I fucking love Chardjen. Even though Chardjen’s character doesn’t seem important, he basically helped everyone behind scenes. Like he’s the type of person who you don’t really pay attention to but he’s actually the mastermind in helping others to bond again or comes up with solutions. Especially in the last few episodes like he had to move abroad but he didn’t want to leave his friends so he made excuses to stay and also when Cable (another character) needed a few days to stay he actually helped him out. Look if Chardjen left earlier to study abroad I think Shin (Male lead) and Saint would be dead like seriously. Thinking if I should start Chardjen fanclub 101. BAHHAHAHA

Another comment I would like to say about the plot is that I feel like they keep teasing the audience to watch more episodes to find out about Shin’s history with Saint. I feel like they could wrapped it up in 2-3 episodes or maybe even 5. But I had to figure it out like 9-10 episodes in, just letting you know in case you forget one episode is like 50-60 minutes (insert death emoji). Perhaps they needed to prolong the story that’s why there are bits of filler episodes. Like bro the fighting scene in the end like Ken (character) getting beat up by Jeng (evil character) for 10 minutes is crazy. They must’ve gotten him plot armor cause let me tell you NO ONE CAN SURVIVE THAT. Like his bones is probably broken, he coughed out so much blood and yet he is still standing like everything is okay.

But anyways it was a good watch, there’s some funny scenes. Can I also just say that I’ve been scammed into watching this. The tag didn’t say this series was about bromance but I do recommend to watch. :)

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Woah shocking!

Honestly I wasn’t expecting much going into this short drama series but honestly it did blew my socks off!! Okay just a little spoiler! THIS AINT YOUR AVERAGE SHORT C DRAMA SERIES!!! I’m pretty sure there are some scenes where GL is implied!

It is something I wasn’t expecting because Girl’s Love or anything that’s LGBTQ is banned in china even if there a slight implication. The story is a little bit more unique than the rest but they still include those nasty jealous adoptive sibling relationship and like people looking down on mc and their love one saving their ass. But honestly I don’t really mind, the chemistry of the characters main me giggle and kicking the air. It’s not as strong probably because they have to get around the censorship but honestly it is good enough.

I need a BL version… wink wink. Anyways if you like to watch GL this is definitely your cup of tea.

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Spoilers ahead!
This series is definitely made for those who like light-hearted bl series. I also do enjoy watching them but i feel like this series doesn't have much plot to work on. Like after they went on a school field trip, theres the beach trip then goes to a school event and they ended it off with the characters finishing their year. I just felt that theres a lot of time skip going on.

Moving on to comment on their characters, I do think their is some chemistry going on between the main character (Hioki) and the male lead (Watarai). Although, it's not that strong. It's not strong because I feel that there wasn't much in-depth explanation of their characters. Like I understand that Watarai is suppose to be the jealous, possessive type of male lead and Hioki is the innocent one but that's just it. There's not much seasoning for the characters, like if you were to make a pot of soup there would only be water, salt and one or two vegetable inside. It's not bland, but it's not good enough to the point you want to have a second serving.

I would also like to mentioned that the amount of time skips going on in this series is insane. Like what do you mean after one trip ended, suddenly its 1 to 3 months later, heck it can even be 5 months later. I would like to know what happened in between those months, I don't mind if they are undergoing their exams or having relationship issues, i'm just a curious little man. But i do understand that they probably don't have much screen time so they just have to deal with what they have.

Overall, I do find this series quite funny and enjoyable to watch. I don't really have anything else much to say because I have said what I've said. I do recommend people to give this a watch at least once, it's not because its a bad series, I do think that this is a decent series but it could be better. All i have written down is based on my experience so you don't have to agree with me. If you're reading this, thank you for reading my review hope you have a great day. Baii!

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Spoilers ahead!!

I did not expect that this Thai BL storyline would be that good and thank god I was wrong. The plot was so good, the characters were well written and the execution was flawless. Can I also just say that every music that they put into the drama is so good and pairs really well with the scenes that the characters were trying to portray?!

From the start to the end, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions, from small smiles to laughters to tears and depression. There were a lot of topics that felt relatable and meaningful which was portrayed throughout the series. Whether its family issues, relationship problems the way that they tackle every single situation was handled well.

The chemistry between the male lead and main character was there like you can feel it after one episode. One of my favorite scenes was the confession scene. When Joke (main character) asked Jack (male lead) who does he like? And Jack says “its you” to Joke. To me that was the sweetest moment and the perfect timing because they have went through a lot together and during that time Jack realized that he cannot be with a person who he doesn’t love. His heart wants to be with Joke because he cannot lie to himself anymore and wanted to accept the truth. Also! The first time they wanted to kiss he would always ask for consent from Joke. CONSENT IS HOT DARLING!

I don’t really have any critiques to write anymore except that they need to make a season 2 or smth. Like this cannot end here!! Thank you for listening to me rant. Just know i’ll be depressed for a few days because of the cliffhanger.

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Must watch, if you’re 18+

The cinematography feels really fresh to me. The way this series was filmed reminds me of movie-level cinematography like ‘Parasite’ and ‘No Other Choice’. I’ve been watching K-dramas for 10 years, and I honestly don’t recall seeing anything filmed quite like this. Some scenes also remind me of ‘The Office’ a little bit, you know how sitcoms play with the camera and use those random zooms? 😆

The premise is also very intriguing. I immediately wanted to know more about what would happen to the two families. Multiple things just go wrong at the same time, which leads to one misunderstanding after another, and honestly, it’s quite funny.

I also love how they retell the same story, or events from the same timeline, from different characters’ POVs. And they’re not dull or repetitive at all, because each POV adds more context to the story and gives the characters so much more personality.

Kim Hye Soo is so badass here! ❤️

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A Dark BL That Actually Understands Its Characters.

I made an MDL account just to write a review for this because, honestly, the overall rating does not do this series justice.

I think a lot of people expect dark BLs to be purely about pain, trauma, and having some deep-rooted reason behind every toxic behavior. But this story is different. What I really appreciated was how each scene was crafted in a way that initially made you think the characters were simply acting according to the personalities the story had established for them. As the story progressed, however, it proved to be much more complicated than that.

I especially love how Bei Luqing’s character was developed, particularly in the latter parts of the series. A lot of BLs portray “red flags” as characters who simply hurt the weaker person in the relationship, but BLQ is written very differently. There is much more to his character than just being someone who causes pain.

Lu Xiaofan, on the other hand, was initially portrayed as weak and somewhat of a pushover. However, the writers did not stop there. They made sure Fanfan was not reduced to the stereotype that people might initially assume him to be. His character has much more depth than what his initial portrayal suggests.

The chemistry between the characters—both the main couple and the supporting characters—was also very clear. Even without a direct love confession, the series made sure that every interaction between them carried meaning and was portrayed in a way that not everyone might immediately understand. Sometimes, it was in the smallest details and interactions where their feelings became the most apparent.

This BL completely broke my expectations of what a dark BL should be. I think that is what captivated me the most. Not every red flag has to come purely from hatred, and not every toxic behavior needs to be explained in the most obvious way. Sometimes, the characters themselves are far more complicated than the labels we give them.

I really hope more dark-themed BLs are made with this kind of approach. This series deserves much more recognition than its current rating suggests.

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Our Sticky Love — Do We Only Believe in Second Chances When They Are Fictional?

I saw quite a few harsh reviews of Our Sticky Love, particularly people saying that twelve episodes were too much, and I honestly don't agree with everything I read. I understand some of the criticism because the drama occasionally takes its time when a few scenes could have been shorter, but I think reducing it to an overlong romantic comedy misses what the story was actually trying to do. For me, this wasn't simply about an amnesiac prosecutor falling in love with the man pretending to be her boyfriend. It was about second chances, and almost every important character was given one. That is probably why the slower pace didn't bother me nearly as much as it bothered some viewers. One review even argued that the story had a natural stopping point around episode ten and that the final two episodes stretched things out, which I can understand. But binge-watching twelve hours in a weekend also changes how pacing feels. Something designed to let characters settle, reflect and slowly reconnect can feel repetitive when consumed without much distance between episodes.

Not every romance needs to move like an American thriller. Sometimes watching a drama is supposed to be relaxing. French and other European television and cinema have long been comfortable allowing silence, ordinary conversations and apparently insignificant moments to remain on screen, and I don't automatically consider that bad pacing. I do think Our Sticky Love could have been tightened in places, but "slow" and "badly written" are not synonyms. The creators are interesting in that regard. Writer Mo Ji-hye still has a relatively short credited television portfolio, with You Raise Me Up being her other major drama credit, so I can understand why some transitions and secondary plots feel less polished. Director Kim Jang-han, however, is not really inexperienced: he previously directed Do You Like Brahms?, You Raise Me Up and My Demon. His preference for emotional atmosphere over constant momentum therefore feels more like a directing style than simply someone not knowing how to pace a series.

At the centre of everything are Jung Hae-in and Ha Young, and I thought they were fantastic together. Jung Hae-in has reached a point in his career where he can make a character appealing without constantly reminding us that he is acting. Tae-ha is funny, protective and sometimes painfully awkward, but underneath all of that is someone who has spent years believing certain parts of his life cannot be repaired. His relationship with Eun-sae gradually becomes another chance to imagine a future instead of simply surviving his past. I also laughed when I saw people comparing Jung Hae-in physically with Cha Eun-woo, because what exactly are we supposed to prove with that comparison? They are attractive in completely different ways and belong to different generations of actors. Anyone who has followed Jung Hae-in's career—and, yes, remembers some of those shirtless scenes—already knows the man has absolutely nothing to be envious of. More importantly, he is not here simply to look beautiful; Tae-ha needed warmth, physical credibility as a former boxer and enough vulnerability to make his devotion believable, and Jung Hae-in gave him all three.

Ha Young surprised me even more because this is her first major romantic-comedy leading role after years spent largely in supporting parts. Eun-sae could easily have become unbearable: she is intelligent, privileged, suspicious and literally living inside a lie created by the man she will eventually love. Instead, Ha Young makes her funny without making her stupid and vulnerable without making her helpless. Critics who did enjoy the drama also singled out her comic timing, and I really hope this leads to more substantial leading roles because she proved she can carry one.

But the performance that affected me the most belonged to Heo Sung-tae. Gosh, he was scary. Baek Sang-gil initially appears to be exactly the kind of character Heo Sung-tae can play almost effortlessly: powerful, controlled and capable of horrifying violence without needing to scream every five minutes. Yet the final episodes ask much more from him. The monster slowly discovers that the young man he has manipulated, threatened and eventually prepared to destroy is actually his own son, the child he abandoned when he chose ambition and crime over the woman he loved. That revelation changes everything without magically making him a good person. His final moments were beautifully acted because several emotions existed at once. There was fear, regret, love and the horrifying realisation of what he had become. He finally understood that the cycle he created had reached his own child, but by then his chance to actually become Tae-ha's father had already disappeared. Watching an actor communicate that much while crying without turning the scene into exaggerated melodrama genuinely made me cry with him. And yes, Heo Sung-tae has received recognition for this kind of work. He won Best Supporting Actor at the 2022 APAN Star Awards for Squid Game and Insider, won a KBS supporting-actor award for Bloody Heart, and received major nominations including Baeksang recognition for Squid Game. His career is full of difficult, often unpleasant men, which makes the emotional vulnerability of Baek Sang-gil's ending even more impressive.

That ending is also where the entire drama finally came together for me, because second chances had been hiding everywhere from the beginning. Tae-ha gets another chance at love and at building a family after wasting part of his life inside a criminal organisation. Eun-sae gets another chance at life itself, but also an opportunity to discover who she is without her career, money and social position defining every decision. Other characters receive second chances in relationships, friendship, health and work. Even Jo Maeng-suk, the village shaman, fits the same idea. Her greed damages the gift she depended upon and disconnects her from the spiritual identity around which she built her life, yet the ending gives her another route back through tarot and the return of her intuition. It is funny, but it isn't meaningless. Even the comic side character is being told that losing something through your own mistakes does not necessarily mean you are condemned forever. What matters is what you do when the second chance appears. Some characters recognise it. Some almost miss it because of pride, fear or jealousy. Baek Sang-gil understands his too late, which is why his ending is so much sadder than a conventional villain simply receiving punishment. He could have had love, a son and another life, but every earlier decision gradually closed those doors until the only thing he could still do as a father was stop himself from destroying his child. That is why I think people concentrating only on the romance can miss quite a lot of what Our Sticky Love is doing. The love story is important, but family is everywhere too: biological family, chosen family, friendships that become family, and the possibility of creating something healthier than what you inherited. A second chance does not erase what happened before. It simply gives you one opportunity to decide whether the past will determine what happens next.

Unfortunately, discussion around Ha Young became complicated by something completely outside the drama. Shortly after release, historical records concerning her great-grandfather, physician Ahn Sang-ho, became the subject of controversy. Her agency initially called the allegations groundless, then apologised after confirming a 1916 record listing him as a council member of the Daejeong Chinmokhoe, and Ha Young subsequently apologised for having spoken proudly about family history without knowing the complete historical context. Planned promotional interviews involving both Ha Young and Jung Hae-in were cancelled as the controversy grew. I am not going to turn a drama review into a debate about Japanese colonial history, because it deserves a much more serious discussion than a paragraph attached to a Netflix romance. I also cannot prove that every negative review of Our Sticky Love was influenced by that controversy, and it would be unfair to dismiss legitimate criticism that way. The mixed reception existed for genuine reasons too, particularly around pacing and how the different plots were balanced.

But I do have a problem when criticism of an actor's work becomes criticism of something an ancestor did generations before that actor was born. Ha Young can be judged for what Ha Young says and does, including how responsibly she discusses her own family history once new information becomes available. She cannot travel backwards in time and make decisions for her great-grandfather. That distinction actually connects strangely well with the drama itself. Our Sticky Love repeatedly asks whether people must remain trapped by the mistakes of the people who came before them. Tae-ha certainly does not become responsible for Baek Sang-gil's crimes because they share blood. Why should that principle suddenly disappear when we stop watching fiction and start looking at an actress? Being descended from somebody who made morally compromised choices does not create inherited guilt. Nor should Ha Young have to prove that she is "Korean enough" because of a man who lived generations earlier. If anything matters now, it is what she does with her own life and what she chooses after learning more about that history.

Final Thought

Our Sticky Love is not a perfect drama, and I don't need to pretend it is simply because I enjoyed it. Some scenes could have been shorter, the balance between romance, comedy and crime occasionally becomes uneven, and a more experienced scriptwriter might have given certain secondary stories greater momentum. But twelve episodes did not feel pointless to me because the story wasn't only waiting for Jung Hae-in and Ha Young to kiss. It was giving people chances. A chance to love someone again. A chance to become a family. A chance to rebuild a career. A chance to survive illness. A chance to repair a friendship. A chance to admit that you were wrong. Even a chance to become the father you should have been years earlier, although Baek Sang-gil discovers with devastating cruelty that some chances do eventually expire.

That is what stayed with me after the romance ended. Life occasionally gives us another opportunity to correct something we damaged, but there is absolutely no guarantee that it will offer a third. Maybe that is also why I find some of the reaction surrounding Ha Young so uncomfortable. If a drama spends twelve episodes reminding us that people should be judged by what they choose to do with the life they have been given, perhaps we should be capable of extending the same reasoning to the actors once the credits stop rolling.

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I can't get over Wave! Must-Watch

All I can say is the whole show is just so cute and adorable!

I love the dedication of Duang and his unique approach to what giving up means. Qin's personality is such a great contrast to Duang's, which is probably why they fit together so well.

As for Jamie and Mavis, I actually like that they didn't get too much screen time—mostly because they totally deserve to headline their own series!

And then there's my Wave 🥺

Wave is my absolute favorite among the DMD actors, and my heart still can't quite get over him.

My heart completely broke when he couldn't find a partner on DMD Friendship, so seeing him here with a potential partner (and knowing he'll have a new series with them as a side couple, I think!) just makes my heart swell. I really hope things work out for him, but if not, I wish him all the absolute best.

Getting back to the review: I love the choice of songs—they fit the whole series and the characters so perfectly.

And the art?

💯

It was so refreshing to actually see real artistic elements, like having actual art scenes when the characters are studying art, rather than just focusing exclusively on the romance. Plus, the cinematography is simply to die for!

As for the NC scenes, they manage to be sweet and sensual at the exact same time without feeling over-the-top.

If you want a series that is light, sweet, and filled with cute-y vibes, this is definitely your best go!

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